At the age of 14, in 1956, he took part in the Tall Ships Races from Torbay to Lisbon
At just 14 years old, Lars A.P. Urholt took part in the Tall Ships Races. It was another experience that has left its mark on his memory. Read what he writes about it below.
"In 1956 I was 14 years old and a student on board the first Tall Ship Race from Torbay in England to Lisbon. Sørlandet I came second in the big ship class. The winner of the race "Moyana" from England sank on the way back to England. We were in the same storm that came upon us suddenly in the English Channel. I myself was up on the merseråa and salvaged sails in the storm. Since we had no radar and visibility was poor, the skipper decided to follow a tanker through the Channel. But we sailed away from them without a single sail up, about 13 knots. When we came out of the channel, the storm stopped as quickly as it had come. It became dead calm. Since there was no propeller and engine on the ship at that time, we spent more than twenty days on the return trip from Lisbon to Kristiansand. A welcome dinner was arranged at Christiansholm Fortress. To get there in time, a motorized lifeboat was launched. It pulled us the last bit. So arrival with full sails and full speed was not possible. Another thing we didn't have at the time was beds. No, we had hammocks. It was great when the sea was a bit rough, because in them we were almost calm all the time.
In 2006, as a veteran, I was invited to the start of the fiftieth race between the same cities. There I was on board the starting ship where we were greeted by the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth's consort. Accompanying me from Norway was a school pupil named Bryn. I don't remember his first name. He eventually became first skipper of the SS Norway, formerly the SS France. (I myself became skipper of a 22-foot Winrace.) I have a career in the armed forces and not at sea."
OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES:
- The gift letter that became a national cultural treasure
- A school of a lifetime
- Discipline - order - seamanship
- They came down from the rig and manned our fleet
- School under sail
- "We became men"
- Our youngest Vikings
- "Continuation School" for future sailors
- War, occupation, reconstruction
- Inspiration in art
- Over and out as a training ship
- In 1956, at the age of 14, he took part in the Tall Ships Races
